Kingdom of Cromora

Cromora is the largest nation in Devaia in terms of sheer landmass, taking up the majority of the northern half of Alderra. It is a rugged country, with massive tracts of unsettled wilderness, and it's population mostly lives in the south. Cromora boasts an elected government, a fairly high degree of freedom for it's people, and a strong economy that makes it one of the most powerful countries in Alderra and the surrounding area. However, this wealth and freedom belays a very troubled past.

Government

Cromora is ruled by a monarch, currently Queen Branwen, who's power is shared with parliament. In Cromora, the monarch is replaced upon death by his or her chosen successor, but this successor cannot take the throne without being approved by a vote of the populace. If the planned successor does not gain the necessary vote, an election is held to determine who should take the throne. The monarch rules until death, abdication, or impeachment. Parliament is made up of individuals elected by their communities to serve five year terms, and shares power with the monarch to assure that he or she never becomes a tyrant. Parliament may impeach the monarch with a two thirds vote, forcing an election, but this has never actually happened.

Cromora is split into six provinces, each ruled over by an elected governor and provincial legislature. At the lowest level is the county, ruled over by an elected magistrate and county legislature. City mayors are appointed by the magistrate, and report directly to the county.

History

Cromora has been inhabited for many thousands of years, but was not discovered by people from other continents until about 400 years ago. It was first colonized by Sarrier, quickly followed by Talmora, and the conflict between the two nations over who would rule Cromora colored most of the country's early colonial history. Eventually Talmora won out, making Cromora the crown jewel of it's Alderran empire.

Most of Cromora's early colonists settled in the Vendairian Peninsula, and most of these were religious hardliners eager to establish their own land where they could practice their beliefs, and Vendair's early history reflects this, being responsible for the bloodiest witch hunts in Devaia's history.

 Gentai was the second province to be heavily settled. It had a small population shortly after Vendair was colonized, but was not heavily settled for some 100 years. The third province to be widely settled was Leontiny, located west of Gentai, which was originally a Sarrien possetion. From there, the western provinces were eventually settled.

 Although the church was originally highly important in Cromora, especially Vendair, it eventually began to lose influence bit by bit around two hundred years ago, and around 130 years ago it ceased to have any legal authority over government. While Cromora is by no means the only nation to have large scale witch hunts, the Vendarian Witch Hunts are considered the bloodiest in history, with a death toll estimated at tens of thousands over the 250 year period over which they took place. The witch hunts ended with the end of church authority in government 130 years ago. Though the witch hunts are over, their legacy still taints Cromoran society heavily.

 Around 130 years ago Talmora gave it's Alderran colonies independence, with the understanding that there would be favorable trade agreements. This was because the Talmoran empire was becoming massively expensive to maintain, and the Talmoran government just couldn't afford it anymore. Although Talmora maintains strong alliances with it's former colonies, it no longer rules over them.

 28 years ago, the king died. He named his oldest daughter, Maura, was named his successor. One of Maura's planned reforms was to reintroduce slavery, which had been illegal for 40 years at this point, as a solution to petty crime and homelessness, as these things were seen as major problems by many urban folk. Maura's younger sister, Branwen, was among a large segment of Vendarian society in opposing the return of slavery, and hotly opposed Maura taking the throne. Thanks in part to her campaigning, Maura failed to get the necessary votes to become queen, though only narrowly, and an election was held that Branwen won, again narrowly. Maura didn't stand for this, and allegations of corruption and vote tampering were thrown around that culminated in 8 years of civil war between Maura and Branwen that ended with Maura's execution and over two hundred thousand deaths of both soldiers and civilians.

Economy

Having recovered from the ravages of the civil war over the past 20 years, the Cromoran economy has become a powerhouse. It is based off of the country's vast natural resources, manufacture, and trade, and most of it's people enjoy a fairly high standard of life. Though slavery is no longer legal, and hasn't been for almost 70 years, illegal slavery and human trafficking are unfortunately major parts of the black market in Cromora, and somewhat widespread.

Religion

The Church of Jessabra was once the main religion of Cromora and used to have legal authority within the government, but those days are over. Though still somewhat sizeable, it is much smaller than it once was, and a great many Cromorans worship other dieties.

Geography  The province of Vendair is the southeastern most in Cromora, and is a mixture of hilly and mountainous terrain with a jagged coastline and dotted with hills, lakes, swamps, and thick forests. It has mild summers and cold winters, wet springs, and cool falls with famously colorful leaves.

 Gentai, a rocky chunk of land and two large islands directly north of Vendair, is mostly mountain terrain in the mainland parts, with the islands, located to the east of the mainland, being heavily wooded. It has mild summers and cold winters, with spring and fall both being cold.

 Leontiny is to the west of Gentai, and is mostly flat and covered with lakes and forests. It was summers that range from mild to slightly warm and cold winters, with fall and spring alternating between cool and mild.

Language

Talmoran is the main language of Cromora, though Sarrier, immigrant languages, and native languages can also be heard. Nonhumans do not have their own languages.

People

A majority of inhabitants of Cromora are of Talmoran ancestry or, if from Leontiny, Sarrier ancestry. There are also a large number of Nestoran, Teutaran, Markkish, Lisaran, and Potempkin immigrants and their descendants living in Cromora, as well as a large native population.

Cromora boasts a population of around 12 million, roughly 6 million of whom live in Vendair, one half million in Gentai, 1 and a half million in Leontiny, and the others in the western provinces.

-Common Names (Nonhumans usually use the same types of names humans, but generally choose older, more archaic ones while humans choose more modern ones) 1
 * Talmoran Ancestry

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6 1 1 1 1
 * Sarrier Ancestry
 * Nestoran Ancestry
 * Teutaran Ancestry
 * Markkish Ancestry

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4 1 1
 * Potempkin Ancestry
 * Lisaran Ancestry

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3
 * For native names, use New England and Canadian tribal names that sound appropriate.

Adventuring

Cromora boasts a strong government with effective law enforcement, and does not allow adventurers to go around making whatever trouble they wish. In order to partake in traditional adventuring behavior, one must be what the Cromoran government calls an independent deputy. An independent deputy is a private citizen who is permitted to engage in mercenary work, carry out missions for government, military, or law enforcement agencies who request assistance, excavate dangerous ruins, hunt bounties placed upon wanted individuals and dangerous magical creatures, and engage in similar behavior. In order to become an independent deputy one must request a license from the local city or county government. Obtaining this license requires proof of knowledge regarding the laws on the behavior of independent deputies (basically, don't murder [killing is permitted so long as it can be justified to the local authorities], steal, con people, and other common sense stuff), usually in the form of a written or verbal exam, and a small fee. Taking part in adventuring behavior without this license is illegal in most cases. Possessing a license does not mean that a character must be lawful or cannot be chaotic.